BOSTON - The House on Wednesday passed a bill partially lifting the stateís ban on Sunday hunting by allowing the use of bow and arrows during the last three months of year, which is deer hunting season.

The bill (H 4114) was approved on a voice vote Wednesday night after a session focused on a $1.7 billion environmental bond package. The House rejected an amendment to the bill from Rep. Tim Madden (D-Nantucket) allowing any city or town to opt out of the law by sending a certified letter to the director of the fisheries and wildlife.

The Sunday Hunting Coalition supports the bill, while the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposes it. The Sunday Hunting Coalition estimates that legalizing Sunday hunting in Massachusetts could lead to the direct and indirect creation of more than 500 new jobs and $51 million in economic activity by keeping hunters from traveling to neighboring states like New York, Rhode Island and New Hampshire where Sunday hunting is legal.

The bill cleared the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in mid-May, with Sen. William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) dissenting. Brownsberger said he was "not enthusiastic" about expanding hunting hours in the state.

"Iím with the MSPCA on this kind of expansion of hunting," Brownsberger said Thursday. "I think it creates more risks for people who want to be outside."